Since he already had a good handle on earning rewards points, it seems that a card with
redemption flexibility would be a good match for him.
Not exact matches
With no minimum
redemptions and plenty of options for cashing in on rewards, it offers more
flexibility than we
've seen in other Chase cards.
Since these cards
have better
redemption flexibility, with points and miles usable as direct offsets to any travel spending made, cards like the Hyatt card only make sense if you can get a better deal.
With a meaty sign - up bonus, solid reward rate of 2x points per dollar on travel and dining, and
flexibility in
redemption through the Ultimate Rewards portal, the Chase Sapphire Preferred
has established itself as one of the best credit card options not only for airline ticket purchases but all things travel.
Consumers are afforded far more
flexibility with the Citi ® Double Cash Credit Card, which
has no
redemption structure — you simply get cash back, allowing you to pick what you do with the money you get back.
This
redemption option does limit certain benefits you
would have with a regular ticket (such as
flexibility to rebook or cancel) but we still think the value from this is noteworthy.
Individuals who
would prefer greater
redemption flexibility should consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred ® Card.
At the end of the day, of course, all the
redemption flexibility in the world does you no good if you don't
have access to the options.
You should consider the
flexibility of the card's
redemption options, including how often you can redeem your cash back (some cards only allow you to redeem once a year), how many options you
have for redeeming your cash back, how much cash back you need to collect before you can redeem it and whether you can set your account to redeem automatically to save yourself some work.
Overall, we
would recommend the Barclaycard Arrival Plus ™ World Elite MasterCard ® to the travelers who cares about points
redemption flexibility.
While it doesn't
have the
redemption flexibility of the Platinum, it
has enough benefits to make it a good choice for frequent travelers.
On the other hand, if you
'd rather
have more
flexibility when it comes to
redemption, consider the Citi Prestige ® Card.
Alaska Airlines
has a bunch of great
redemptions, and this ability to transfer gives your miles even more value and
flexibility!
Combine either of these cards with the powerful
redemption value and
flexibility of the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and you'll
have a winning rewards strategy.
While it doesn't
have the
redemption flexibility of the Platinum, it
has enough benefits to make it a good choice for frequent travelers.
They do, however, offer a really great Cash & Points option that reduces the nightly
redemption cost of points by half (or more) and allows you to pay the remainder in cash, adding
flexibility for people that don't
have enough points.
The SPG Amex card
has strong
redemption value and
flexibility with 30 airline transfer partners and a 5,000 miles bonus when you transfer 20,000 points to an airline.
In order to provide more
redemption options to Cardmembers, you
have the
flexibility to redeem merchandise from the traditional Scotia Rewards catalogue or merchandise from the Apple and Best Buy catalogues.
On the one hand, you want to build up a big balance to
have enough points to actually be able to use them on a
redemption but on the other hand you want to
have the
flexibility that comes with
having point balances in multiple reward programs.
Combine this solid earnings system with
redemption flexibility, zero annual fees, and access to a helpful mobile app, and the Hilton Honors Card from American Express
has a lot to offer wanderlusters of all types.
You should consider the
flexibility of the card's
redemption options, including how often you can redeem your cash back (some cards only allow you to redeem once a year), how many options you
have for redeeming your cash back, how much cash back you need to collect before you can redeem it and whether you can set your account to redeem automatically to save yourself some work.
The only cards that offer a greater rewards rate are those in the travel category, with the tradeoff of
having more limited
flexibility when it comes to rewards
redemption.
«Unsurprisingly, cash - back rewards
have the highest
redemption rate because cash - back is all about simplicity and
flexibility --[you] don't need to
have a specific purpose in mind or worry about getting the best value,» said McQuay.
I know that if I
had to pick just one card and I wasn't already targeted for a high AMEX signup bonus, I
'd pick the Ink Plus card, for its 50K bonus, multiple 5X categories and the
flexibility of Ultimate Rewards points, which can be transferred to Singapore KrisFlyer and Korean Skypass (my two favorite
redemptions), as well as United MileagePlus, British Airways Avios, Hyatt Gold Passport, and other travel partners.